If you are building a new home or renovating your existing home, you might want to consider interior and exterior French door options to add a touch of elegance and flair to any room in the house – and a beautiful focal point for the outside. A French door is also known as French windows and is a door made from panes of glass or glass panels, called lites ; when choosing a French door, the door will be described by the number of lites in the door – as an example, a 15 lite French door or 15 panel French door. French doors are either interior (used for interior entrance doors or room dividers/partitions) or exterior door, used to gain entrance and exit from the home. Most French doors are partnered in pairs to create a large entry/exit when opened at the same time. French doors for the interior are typically made of wood while exterior French doors are usually made of a more weather friendly material, like fiberglass, steel or other metals. The glass in a French door is made more durable than regular glass to withstand usage without breaking in most instances. French doors are available in pre hung varieties that make them easier to install.
Interior French Doors
Interior French doors are made less durable than an exterior type. These doors can be used to adjoin one interior room to another; you may have seen many homes where the master bedroom features French doors that open into the master bathroom.
Exterior French Doors
Exterior French doors are designed to handle the many weather conditions that they might be exposed to, and are used as entryways into the home, often found near the posterior of the home, such as those that let out to the patio or deck. The French door allows bright natural sunshine into the home, so they are perfect for areas with poor lighting. The tempered glass that is normally used in the construction of exterior French doors is stronger than regular glass, including the glass on interior French doors.
Types of French Doors
The most popular French door types are:
Pocket French doors. This type of French door is a great space saving door; the door slides into a wall instead of requiring an opening on a hinge.
Bi fold French doors. This type of doors has two to four sections of panels that will fold into pairs when opened, and usually open from either side; used most typically for closets.
Multi fold French doors. The multifold French door is designed to accommodate places that require a folding door in order to cover an area that is wider than is considered normal. These are great for hall or room dividers.
Sliding French doors. Perfect for the balcony where there is limited space, the sliding French door slides open and closed to allow more room for furniture, etc., because there is no need for a door way clearance for a traditional door to swing back and forth.
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